

The holiday season can be tough enough. Imagine going through the holidays wondering if the people you’re sharing the turkey with plan on purging you on Purge night.
Tonight is episode 6 of THE PURGE, and this episode is called “Happy Holidays.” There isn’t as much of a jump in time from episode 5 to 6 as there has been in previous episodes, but the showrunners decided to have the episode focus on another holiday, which seems to be a theme with many episodes.
Last week on THE PURGE, Marcus discovered his wife’s ex-lover took out the hit on his life. Now he’s determined to have a confrontation for answers and to get the peace of mind he hasn’t had since Purge night. Yet the confrontation leads to unexpected answers and even more questions.
Despite being questioned by the police numerous times, Ben has managed to avoid being accused of his friend’s murder. Luckily it’s the holidays and time for a break from school. He plans to take his girlfriend home for the holidays, while also taking this off-campus time to dispose of the evidence. The only problem is, family gatherings can be tense and Ben might not be quite ready to let go of who he’s become since Purge night.
Ryan is now forced to loop his old boss in on the Purge night heist he’s planning. There is no trust between his crew and this woman, and when she suggests bringing in more people things only become more complicated. Then he gets an unexpected visitor. The NFFA knows that Esme is trying to find evidence they have been killing people to cover up violence outside of Purge night. She knows they can find her through surveillance and she has no one she can trust, so Esme seeks out Ryan to help her in her desperation to survive.
With each character in this week’s episode of THE PURGE, the stakes have been raised quite a bit. There is definitely a heightened sense of danger by the end of the episode and it seems like no one is safe. What is especially suspenseful about the danger of this episode, and really this entire season, is that it can’t be done in the open. In season one of THE PURGE, and in all the films, there is constant violence everywhere because it is legal on Purge night. The rest of the year all crimes carry a much weightier sentence so all the criminal activity has to be done in relative secrecy. Even the NFFA trying to take Esme down has to be as inconspicuous as possible as they try to chase her down. It is really even more vital for them to maintain the appearance of calm because they might otherwise expose how truly flawed their system is.
One of my favorite scenes in this week’s episode is when Ben is having a nice holiday dinner with his mother, older brother, and girlfriend. There is the typical brotherly bickering, and his brother really digs at him. We all know Ben is unhinged, but his family doesn’t. The scene drips with suspense because we as the viewers don’t know if Ben is going to break his façade in front of his family and show his true colors. It’s thrilling because his family is completely ignorant of the danger they could be in.
Another standout from this week is the opening scene. Viewers will know each episode begins with something that gives a little bit more insight into the behind-the-scenes workings of the Purge. At the very least, it reveals something about how deranged this world truly is. This time, THE PURGE opens with a radio talk show. The host is a really fun surprise cameo of an actor familiar to horror fans. This scene is striking because it shows how casually people throw around threats to have people purged, while also showing how celebrity in this world is really measured in how many people want to kill you on Purge night.
We’re getting closer to the finish line for season 2 of THE PURGE. It’s great to see Ryan and Esme’s storylines converge again. I’ll be interested to see if the others will come together somehow as well.
Be sure to catch THE PURGE Tuesday nights at 9/8c on USA Network.
- [Episode Recap] THE PURGE S2 EP10 - December 17, 2019
- [Episode Recap] THE PURGE S2 EP9 - December 10, 2019
- [Episode Recap] THE PURGE S2 E8 - December 3, 2019